| Abstract: | The main aim of the dissertation is to present the various functions of music in Polish dramatic theatre and also to demonstrate the ways in which contemporary Polish theatre directors ‘shape’ the sound layer in their performances. Concurrently, the author discusses two methodologies which can be used to analyse and describe theatre music. These two complementary methodologies are the semiotics and the performative aesthetics. The thesis explores the numerous relationships between music and other elements of the miseen-
scene, including scenography, actor's body (acting and movement) and stage lighting. However, the main focus of this thesis is the relation between music and theatrical fiction. The particular chapters are connected to each other by the 'musical space' category which should be defined as a specific way of shaping the sound landscape in a performance. The subject of the thesis involves a variety of theoretical issues such as perception of music in
dramatic theatre, classification of the theatre sounds, types of musical meanings, and also the influence of technology on the sound production. All these questions are considered with regard to particular Polish performances which have been produced in the last 25 years – especially the works of Jerzy Jarocki, Jerzy Grzegorzewski, Krystian Lupa, Krzysztof Warlikowski and Jan Klata. |